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As a young girl I was introduced to many spiritual communities. My mother often brought me to visit ashrams and I sat beside her in weekly women’s circles. These sacred communities always made me feel safe and supported.

When I got to college, I started hosting my own groovy women’s circles. Groups of girls would gather in my apartment to eat snacks and talk about their feelings. Having community really helped me through the chaos and insecurity of my college years.

I just celebrated 1 year off of sugar! Pretty unreal, right? To be clear, I didn’t make this commitment out of vanity or to obsess over some new fad diet. My motivation for kicking sugar came from a deep desire to feel vibrant, healthy and energized. You see, the more I expand my inner awareness and spiritual faith the more conscious I am of how I feel. And as I grow more aware of my physical well-being, it becomes harder to indulge in bad habits.

With my deep desire to feel healthier, I set out on a wellness quest. In August (through doctor supervision) I committed to treat candida, an overgrowth of yeast in the digestive system that causes inflammation and myriad symptoms. One out of three people suffer from candida. (To learn more about candida and its effect on your health, read The Candida Cure by Ann Boroch.) One important way to treat candida is to remove sugar, including fruit, coconut palm sugar, agave, artificial sweeteners, barley malt, brown rice syrup, brown sugar, etc. Pretty much anything that has sugar or turns into sugar is a no-no on the candida diet.

My spiritual surrender has been the key to my success in quitting sugar. Therefore, rather than give you five recipes for sugar-free desserts I’ve decided to share five spiritual steps to quit sugar. If you’re not interested in quitting sugar, you can use these steps for releasing any other habit you’d like to let go of. Use these tools and fully turn your will over to the care of your inner guide. Expect miracles.

1. Get psyched to let it go!
Quitting sugar isn’t for dabblers. In order to really release the cravings and addiction, you must desire something else even more. In my case, the desire to feel healthy and energized far outweighed my raw chocolate cravings. Because I was so psyched about feeling healthy I was able to go into the sugar detox with enthusiasm and commitment.

2. Know that quitting sugar is a spiritual practice.
My first week off sugar I felt a severe sense of withdrawal. This is crazy considering how little sugar I had in my diet to begin with. The detox symptoms reminded me of when I got sober eight years ago. I felt sick, tired and even depressed. I turned to spirit for help in dealing with these emotions and symptoms. I prayed for guidance. Five minutes later, I found myself guided to check my Twitter feed. As the angels would have it, the first post in my feed was from Doreen Virtue:

I smiled at the wink from the Universe and accepted this tweet as the answer to my prayer. I’ve been using Doreen’s sugar prayer ever since. Here it is:

Post this prayer on your refrigerator, desk or even by your bedside. Use it in the morning and throughout the day whenever you feel overwhelmed by your sugar cravings. The angels have your back!

3. Practice the meditation for addiction.
To quote my doctor and friend, Dr. Frank Lipman, “Sugar is like crack.” I couldn’t agree more. Sugar is a drug that keeps us wanting more to the point of addiction. When we’re addicted there is an imbalance in the pineal gland (also called the the third eye). The pineal gland is a small endocrine gland in the vertebrate brain. When the pineal gland is imbalanced, bad habits turn into addictions. The imbalance in the pineal gland affects the pituitary gland, which regulates the rest of the glandular system. When the pituitary gland is affected the entire body and mind go out of balance.

A major tool in my process of healing my addiction to sugar has been the Kundalini meditation for healing addiction. Follow this video for guidance.

4. Find a sugar-free running buddy.
While I visited London I spent some special time with my friend Lou Lou aka Louniverse. Lou Lou has been on the candida diet for many years. Her commitment to a sugar-free lifestyle inspired me greatly. She turned me on to amazing books and recipes and had fun eating berries with me for dessert. It’s important to find a sugar-free running buddy when you embark on this path. To help you out, I created a Sugar Free Spirit Junkies power posse on my social networking site, HerFuture.com. Join this group for support and community.
5. Get down in the kitchen!
One of the most meditative times of my day is when I’m cooking. Getting off sugar has given me even more reason to rev up my culinary skills. When you kick the sugar you can feel a little sad. One great way to combat this grief is to have a lot of fun making sugar-free recipes! A fantastic resource is Sarah Wilson’s I Quit Sugar. I’ve been using the I Quit Sugar: The Chocolate Edition for all of my dessert cravings. I’ve also enjoyed the I Quit Sugar: Your Complete 8-Week Detox Program and Cookbook for awesome support and recipes.

Oh, and I’m not going to leave you hanging: Here’s my (delicious) sugar-free brownie recipe that I made up. Please keep in mind that I am pretty intuitive in the Kitchen. I rarely use measuring devices or use a recipe. Below is my intuitive recipe for sugar free brownies. Please feel free to adjust the measurements if something feels off to you. Use your own intuition in this spiritual baking process:)

It can be hard to believe amidst the holiday hustle and bustle that 2014 is actually here. Rather than merely hope 2014 comes through for you, seize the opportunity to make January a beautiful, miraculous month — the month you Reignite Your Life!

How long have you been living a life that’s almost — but not quite — the one you dream about? So many of us spend years (or decades) longing to live a more fulfilling, exciting, and authentic life. But old patterns and fearful beliefs hold us back.

It’s time to stop dancing around the perimeter of the person you are here to be. Dive in fully and completely! Follow my 14 ways to make 2014 miraculous and kick off the New Year with powerful energy and enthusiasm.

Tip 1. Be willing to change.
Your willingness is crucial in maintaining and sustaining long-lasting change. The key to making resolutions stick is to choose something that you really want to change! Your resolution won’t stick if you don’t REALLY want it. Rate your resolution on a scale of 1 – 10 (10 means you really want it). If you’re under 5 maybe reconsider the resolution for another year.

Tip 2. Find a resolution running buddy.
When you make a commitment to yourself and another person you’re more likely to stick to the plan. Find a friend who wants to be your resolution running buddy. You can support each other on your path. It’s really helpful if you share the same resolution and work together to maintain the positive change.

3. Say nice things to yourself. You’re the only one listening.
Sometimes the biggest bully you know is you. This New Year become aware of the unkind ways you speak to yourself. Tweet: Every thought is an affirmation either lifting you up or knocking you down. Your thoughts speak louder than words and it’s time clean them up and use them wisely. Pay close attention to the negative thoughts you repeat over and over. Then do your best to re-frame those thoughts in an empowering way. For instance, if you’re constantly thinking, “I’ll never reach my desired weight,” then re-frame that thought to, “I am taking powerful steps towards my desired weight.” A simple shift in your thinking can create a miracle.

4. Start your day off right.
Don’t check your email as soon as you wake up. Sit for at least one minute of stillness. Recite a positive affirmation, like, ‘I’m going to respect myself today,’ or use one of my affirmations from the Spirit Junkie Affirmation Alarm Clock. In addition, avoid watching the news for at least an hour. Start your day with positivity and power.

6. Focus on what makes you feel good.
One simple way to energize your life, create more time and be more productive, is to feel inspired. Tweet: When you focus on what is joyful you bring more joy into your life. Take time to engage in your hobbies, read inspiring books or listen to music that you love. You don’t have to wait for inspiration: find it by focusing on what gets your mojo working and you’ll energize every area of your life.

7. Get creative.
This year, tap into your creative side. Creative hobbies will take you out of your daily patterns and ignite your inner spirit. Pledge to engage in a creative project as often as possible. You’ll find that time spent in creativity heightens your happiness and gives you more energy for the other areas of your life. For instance, this month I begin a 6-week ceramics class and I’ve committed to making miracle mugs for all of my friends! (Stay tuned for the instagram pics!)
8. Stop binge watching episodes of Revenge.
Confession: I spent the better half of 2013 watching Revenge and Breaking Bad. I admit that I’m also severely addicted. These days it’s way too easy to get sucked into TV and lose track of time. We can spend hours sucked into Netflix rather than use that time for creative projects. Take a TV break and replace it with something more inspiring. Take walks around your neighborhood, write in your journal, read a new book, try a fun new fitness routine or meditate with me. Get back all the hours you wasted binging on Netflix and reignite your life with new activities. Next time you’re about to press play on the next episode of Revenge press play on this video instead.

9. Fall in love with your exercise method.
I believe that the best way to stay committed to exercise is to fall in love with your exercise routine. When you find joy in exercise then you begin to long for it. For instance, I choose exercises that make me feel childlike, such as, jumping on the mini trampoline or rollerblading. When I ignite my inner child I have more fun and I fall in love with the experience. Being in love with my exercise routine makes me wake up each morning psyched to get back on the trampoline or strap on the rollerblades.

Find an exercise routine that ignites your inner spirit and fall in love with it! Falling in love with your exercise will make it an exciting part of your day rather than a chore.

10. Just show up!
The Kundalini yoga masters taught that 90% of the practice was just showing up to class or sitting down to practice yoga. If 90% of creating a new habit is just showing up, then we can take the pressure off. If your goal is to work out more, remember that 90% of the resolution is to get your butt to the gym! Stop waiting for something major to happen—just show up for change.

11. Keep it simple.
Have you ever desperately wished you could make change happen overnight? If so, you’re not alone: we’ve all been there. But we must surrender to the fact that real change happens by adding up subtle shifts. Tweet: Each subtle shift creates a new experience of positive change. When we add up these moments, we create new behavior. It’s important to keep it simple and stay in the day. Let yourself off the hook! Instead of getting overwhelming by focusing on changing your whole life right now, simply begin paying attention to the moment-to-moment subtle shifts. Trust that the miracle lies within the subtleties. For support on creating these subtle shifts check out the new release of my New York Times bestselling book May Cause Miracles, available in paperback on 1/14/14!

13. Repetition creates permanent change.
Resolutions aren’t for dabblers. It’s important to repeat your new behavior. Make a commitment to stick to your resolution for 40-days straight. That daily repetition will change the neural pathways in your brain and help you create long-lasting change.

14. Have fun!
The best way to stick to your resolutions is to have fun with them. For instance, if you want to get into shape, find really fun and innovative workouts. Or if you want eat more healthfully, fall in love with cooking awesome recipes.

Real, lasting change — the kind that allows you to launch and sustain the life you dream of — requires you to immerse yourself in your desires, let go of negative patterns, and do it all with openness, structure, and support.

Are you ready to launch your life?

This January, join me for Reignite, a brand-new group intensive course. Attend the Reignite intensive course in-person in Manhattan or anywhere online via Livestream video or phone. Plus, you can access the video and audio recordings following each session. The recordings will be yours forever. Check out the details here. Early-bird discount expires 1/2/14.

Let’s face it, the holidays can bring up a lot of funky feelings about your family. These issues can actually be a good thing because they create an opportunity to change. This holiday don’t let your family dynamic get you down. Instead, follow these simple tips for keeping the peace around the dinner table.

Tool One: Mirroring
Is there a family member that gets under your skin? Someone who riles you up by their mere presence. The truth is: the feeling they ignite in you is a reflection of the way you feel about yourself. Don’t point the finger at them, because they are not at fault. Rather, they are simply reflecting the way you feel about you. They are the mirror.

If you feel insecure about yourself, insecurity will be reflected back at you. If you don’t believe in yourself neither will anyone else. However, if you feel good about yourself, others will feel good about you. Therefore, by using the universal mirror this holiday season you’ll stop blaming others and instead look inward at the opportunities for personal growth.

Each time you experience a strong adverse reaction to someone, ask yourself the following questions; what is this person’s behavior making me feel and how is that related to the way I feel about myself?

Tool Two: Mind the Gap
In this case, minding the gap is all about breaking old patterns. Instead of flipping out when someone upsets you, stop and witness the feeling that comes up. Then hang out with that feeling for 90 seconds. Feeling instead of reacting creates a gap, which serves as a form of healing. Feeling your unfelt pain is actually a big release, as it allows your old issues to dissolve and heal.

Tool Three: Use the F Word
The final is forgiveness. Holding onto resentment actually harms you. This is because your resentment keeps you stuck in the past and negatively affects your state of mind. Feelings of anger weaken your thoughts, your energy and your physical well being. By choosing to forgive you release negativity and clear space for happiness to set in.

Bring happy back into your holidays by practicing the above tools. Remember, family members can be your best teachers and all “issues” are universal assignments. Focus your attention inward, feel your feelings and when in doubt use the F word.

For more guidance on this topic watch this week’s vlog on my ELLE.com guest page. Watch here.

When we commit to creating positive change in our lives, we can sometimes get a little psycho about it. I believe in discipline as long as it doesn’t become another reason to stress out. In this video I talk about how we can find balance in our practice and be disciplined without being psychotic.

If you’re looking for more guidance on creating powerful change, join me this January for my new group intensive entitled, Reignite. Check out the details here.

The concept of slowing down often seems alluring—but it can also be really trippy for people. Why? Simple: These days, everything is fast. Technology has our heads spinning. Don’t get me wrong: living a fast-paced life isn’t a bad thing. But running on high speed all the time can make you feel overwhelmed. You not only end up getting less done, you feel tense and anxious.

Paradoxically, the secret to speeding up and getting more done is simply to slow down. I’m not saying you should renounce the world and meditate all day—but I am suggesting that you clear space to access your inner power. When you do that, time will seem to expand, and you’ll accomplish more. In this video I share tools that will greatly help you redirect your energy and learn to heighten an inner sense of power to let your outer life grow, expand and flow. Watch now.

For the majority of my life I’ve had a meditation practice. Through meditation I’ve healed addiction, emotional distress and even physical conditions. In this video I share about the power of stillness and the healing benefits of meditation. For more on this topic check out Dr. Lissa Rankin’s book Mind Over Medicine. If you’re seeking guidance on how to begin your meditation practice, click here.

I love today’s vlog! In this video I talk about how we can be spiritual without giving up things like fabulous shoes or other material goods. I believe that if you’re on a spiritual path you’re always heading toward your authentic truth. When we accept that truth we’re called to express it through what we wear and how we present ourselves. Watch this video for my insight. Oh, and make sure to watch the end of the video, where I give a tutorial on how I do my hair. Seriously!

Posture: Sit with the legs crossed in Easy Pose. Grasp the knees firmly, keeping the elbows straight and the chest lightly lifted. The chin is pulled in gently, to align the skull with the rest of the spine.

Practice:Chant the mantra in a steady rhythm with your eyes closed and focused on the brow point. On “Ek”, pull in the Navel Point. On “Kar”, release it. On “Sat Gur”, pull in the entire abdominal region, especially the diaphragm, lifting everything up toward the ribs and back toward the spine. On “Prasad”, release it. Continue to contract your abdomin and release as you chant the mantra. If the contracting is uncomfortable you can chant the mantra with a long deep breath. Chant the mantra with powerful intention and in a sacred space because it has the power to amplify your projection. This meditation deepens your intuition and heightens your sense of inner knowing.

Time: Begin with a 3-minute practice, gradually increasing to 22 minutes. The maximum length of the meditation is 62 minutes.

Eyes: The eyes are closed or 1/10th open.

IMPORTANT NOTES ON THE MANTRA: “This mantra is the only Kundalini mantra that comes with a warning. This is such a powerful and creative mantra that you must watch your thoughts and actions after you chant it. You will be in such a state of manifestation, that your thoughts will accelerate into being. Luckily, the energy within the mantra itself will help you switch your thoughts to the positive. It takes your own negative thought, stops it in its tracks and reverses it into positivity. A thought rides into your consciousness to be processed with Ek Ong Kar Sat Gur Prasad, and comes out pure with, Sat Gur Prasad Ek Ong Kar.” – Spirit Voyage

Ek Ong Kar Sat Gur Prasad, Sat Gur Prasad Ek Ong Kar
(Translation: There is one Creator of all Creation. All is a blessing of the One Creator. This realization comes through Guru’s Grace.)

Practice mantra for 40-days.Sing it with powerful intentions and enjoy the release of negative thoughts. Feel the blessings.